Once upon a time, there was a long-haired blonde girl who washed her hair every single day with *dun dun dunnnn* PANTENE! Gasp! On no! The terror!
Over ten years later and that same long-hair blonde now exclusively uses salon brand haircare and only needs to wash her hair twice a week! Gasp! The amazement!
How did I cut my washing by more than half as often and get twice the life from a single wash? That's a great question! You're such a smarty! I kicked the cheap, drugstore brand shampoo and conditioner to the curb like a bad ex-boyfriend. I said "How you doin'?" in my best Joey Tribbiani voice and lathered a pea-sized amount of highly concentrated, salon brand shampoo onto my scalp and down my long tresses.
Game. Changer.
Enough about my coming of ~shampoo~ age story, let me hit you with the deets!
1. Throw out anything shampoo or conditioner that you bought somewhere that you could have also gotten cheese puffs or a loaf of bread. If you feel bad tossing it, use it to shave your legs or wash your dog, that's your business, but it is not nourishing your scalp or your hair. The ingredients are super drying and stripping so if you're paying to color your hair, it's sucking that color right back out and sending your precious, hard earned dollars right down the drain.
2. As tempting as it is to buy the "expensive" shampoo or conditioner that you find at TJ Maxx or your local drugstore that is super marked down, don't do it. Again, I say, DO NOT. Just put it back. It's not something you want coming in contact with your body. Why? Because it probably isn't what you think. Honestly, it might not even be shampoo. There have been studies conducted on products that have been labeled as professional haircare products that show some really horrifying results. The "best" possibilities on the long list of horrible possibilities is that it could be expired or watered down. However, it could be replaced with something else--possibly Suave or some very cheap shampoo. Get ready, this is where is gets really nasty, really fast. Several studies have found traces of fecal matter or sewer water in these products. Disgusting, I know! You're probably thinking, well how do these salon brands get away with selling this gross poo-poo shampoo? They aren't the culprits and they are doing everything they can to try to stop this madness. As licensed professionals, we often have to sign agreements that we won't abuse our ability to resell products or cause divergence with what we sell in our salons. Wanna know something freaky? Each of the products I sell, can be traced back to me. So if I suddenly lost my moral compass, then wanted to get a little extra money, and decided to use my empty Olaplex #4 and #5 bottles to scam people by refilling them with Coconut Suave and offering to sell them to some sketchy mustached guy who would then turn around and get them resold in some TJ Maxx (or something), it would take very little for the powers that be to sound the alarm. They would find me and I could lose my license, be sued, likely face jail time--big, big trouble. It's serious. Also, I would never do something like that, you all know me. You will also NEVER find Olaplex anywhere other than a salon or Sephora (Olapex recently announced that they have authorized them as a verified reseller. If you decide to purchase from Sephora, please be sure the protective seal is still fully sealed at your time of purchase to protect yourself from any tampering that could have happened in the store.) I'm not saying this to give you nightmares, I just want you to be fully informed on the dangers of divergent products so you think twice before throwing a pretty bottle of shampoo in your cart as you stroll the aisles just because it looks fancy or has name recognition but is half the price.
3. All that I just told you about divergent products, it happens online too. So, buying stuff on Amazon, that should be out too, girl.
Repeat after me, I will only buy from my trusted stylist or another legitimate salon.
4. Professional haircare is much more concentrated than you'd expect. I have long, thick hair and when I wash it with Olaplex #4 I use a pea-sized portion. I lather it in my hands first then disperse it on my scalp, give it a good scrub and go throughout my hair. Depending on how dirty my hair or scalp is, I give it a quick rinse and do a tiny pea-sized amount to give it an extra wash.
When you have upgraded your shampoo, you'll learn that you really don't need to use that much. Initially, spending $28 for a single bottle may seem like like a waste if you've been used to spending $3 on drugstore products, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that it will transform your hair. It will nourish, hydrate, and cleanse with the best ingredients and help preserve your color or chemically treated hair. Honestly, in the long run, you will likely save money.
My first tip is, and always will be, to upgrade to salon products and ditch the cheap stuff. It is the quickest, easiest way to get the most results.
In the salon, I will initially shampoo your hair with Malibu's Un.doo Goo clarifying shampoo to remove any excess buildup. Then I always shampoo with Olaplex No. 4, if my guest is blonde, grey, or white, I will likely mix it with Pulp Riot Barcelona, which is their toning shampoo, to get the benefits of both products. After a thorough rinse, we condition with Olaplex No. 5 for 3 minutes, if I still want to get some benefits from a tinted product, I will use Pulp Riot Belfast toning conditioner.
At home, I recommend a mini version of the salon routine. I love these products and believe in them so much, that I encourage you to use them as well. My go-to is always Olaplex. For my icey guests, it's important to incorporate the two Pulp Riot products listed above to help fight any brassiness.
I hope my clean little secret helps you and if you have any questions, comment below and I would love to help you!
As always, if there is anything you'd like me to blog about or help to educate you on, let me know!
Until next time loves,
Ella B. Style
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